It All Started With A Chariot Race
by ButNotHaHaFunny32
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are partners in a chariot race, but something goes horribly wrong, and it's up to Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Nico, and 2 new demigods to stop it! And when they discover it's a thirteenth Titan... Will they be able to stop it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Percy Jackson series**

**Percy and Annabeth are dating at the moment**

_Chapter 1- My Eardrums Suffer Because Of A God With A Megaphone_

Annabeth's POV

"Annabeth!!! Come on!!!"

I turned to see Percy beckoning to me from my cabin, through the open door. My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't used to seeing Percy without some form of grime and/or monster dust on him, and he looked great. I smiled, and finished packing up Daedalus's laptop. Two years and I still hadn't gotten even a tenth of the way through.

"Oh my gods, Annabeth. We spent so much time putting together that chariot, and now we're going to miss racing it??? Come. On."

I sighed, and left the Athena cabin. It was one of those days that I felt like doing nothing. There was fog outside camp, and if you got close enough to the magical camp borders, you could hear rain. Wonderful. The only reason I was actually going to the chariot race was because Percy was my partner.

As we neared the clearing, the sounds of chariot racing got louder and louder. I could hear Clarisse shouting to her cabin mates to get her third electric spear, seeing as Silena Beauregard broke her second one last year, in Manhattan. I could hear the horses neighing and prancing. The race was between the Ares, Hades, Athena, and Poseidon cabins. Normally, I would be with one of my siblings, but Percy was alone. No new siblings had come for him… yet. Tyson had left two weeks back, to work on fixing Poseidon's castle under the sea, which was pretty much trashed.

We got to our chariot. It was made of many pieces of metal, but it looked as if it was made from one gigantic piece. It was smooth, and flowing, so that it looked like waves. Tyson had helped us make it the day before he left. Percy and I had done all the rest. It was painted silver and blue-green, with a trident on one side and an owl on the other, in honor of our godly parents. The inside was equipped with many cool tricks to make sure we were first.

"Hey, Percy, Annabeth."

Percy and I turned to see Nico diAngelo, son of Hades. He had grown quite a bit, and his hair was as shaggy and long as ever. He had a leather jacket on, a shirt from some punk-rock band I had never even heard of, and black skinny jeans. He started to remind me of Thalia, our friend who had joined the Hunters of Artemis.

"Hey there, Nico. Did you meet your new cabin mates???" Ever since Percy made the gods promise to claim all of their children last year, new demigods arrived at camp every single day. Nico had welcomed two new campers into the Hades cabin, Jack and Lily West. They were brother and sister, and reminded me of Bianca and Nico. I hadn't known Bianca for long before she died, but I had known that Nico had gotten more sullen and depressed thann usual, even for a son of Hades.

"Yeah, I have. They're cool. About my age, which is good, too."

"At least you won't have to--" I was interrupted by the sound of a megaphone. Nico, Percy, and I all groaned in unison. Mr. D had just gotten a megaphone, and now, you could hear him from a mile away. As if you couldn't hear him before.

"Attention campers." We heard the unmistakeable, uninterested voice of Mr. D. "The chariot race is about to start. The oh-so interesting prize for the winners will be first dibs on dessert, and no welcoming committee duties for a month." At that, everyone started whispering. Everyone hated welcoming committee. The new half-bloods were always so distraught and confused that it made them VERY hard to deal with.

"So," Mr. D continued in a bored voice. "Everyone, get your chariots ready, because the race is about to begin. Yay. And remember, no intentional maiming." I heard him mutter something like "But some accidental maiming could be nice" under his breath.

Percy and I boarded the chariot, which was drawn by hippocampi… with legs. I didn't ask Percy how he did it, and he didn't tell me. I stood on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain."

He smiled sweetly. "You too, Wise Girl."

I hear Mr. D clear his throat. "Are you two lovebirds done???" he said through the megaphone.

I felt myself blushing. "Uh, ye-yes, sir."

"Wonderful. The race will begin when Mr. Shoelace over here shoots out his loud little arrow." He meant Will Solace, from the Apollo cabin, who would shoot out a sonic arrow to mark the start of the race. Will fumbled with his bow, and spilled his arrows all over the ground. Mr. D sighed. "We are experiencing minor technical difficulties."

I took this delay to look over our opponents. Ares was in their old, bad-paintjob, hunk-of-steel chariot. It was pulled by, as usual, their skeleton horses. Nothing new there. The Hades chariot was made out of what looked like Stygian Iron, the same stuff that Nico's sword was made out of, but I couldn't imagine where they could have gotten some. They had jars of Greek fire lined up along their chariot. horses were huge, and jet black, with red eyes. The Athena cabin's, well, MY cabin's, chariot was all silver, with gilded designs all over, with gray horses pulling it. Fortunately, having used that chariot before, I knew all of the little tricks they could pull.

"The minor technical difficuly has been solved, so we can proceed with the race. Yipee. Now, Bill Shoelace, shoot that arrow and let the fun begin."

Will burned bright red, but notched a special light blue arrow in his bow. He aimed at some unseen point in the sky, and released. The arrow flew along for about thrity seconds, then let out a tremendously loud sound, like a power chord on a guitar, set on full volume.

Mr. D spoke through his megaphone. "And we have begun."

The horses rushed off, and the race began.

Little did I know this would be the most memorable chariot race ever… though "memorable" could be a bit too optimistic for what was about to happen next.


	2. Chapter 2

** Disclaimer- I do not own the Percy Jackson series**

Chapter 2- My Friends Are Put In A Big Metal Box And Whisked Away

As the chariots roared to life, I felt incredibly light-headed. Part of it was from the sudden adrenaline rush from taking off so fast, and part of it was from the fact that Percy's hand had slipped on the reins, so that it touched mine. Oh yes. I was that far gone that even an accidental touch of the hand made my heart race. I glanced over at his face for a second. He was looking straight ahead, but I could see a smile on his lips. Oh, his lips…

_Stop it, Annabeth_, I scolded myself. _You've got a race to win_.

I felt the chariot lurch to the left. My siblings had rammed into us from the right. I took out a jar of Greek fire, glowing green. I uncapped it, and threw it onto the chariot. My older brother Malcolm and a new girl, Leslie, started waving their hands frantically to get rid of the flames, which was, of course, futile. The horses careened out of control, and they crashed into the canoe lake. I felt a twinge of guilt, but it went away as soon as I realized we had a fair shot at winning. Clarisse was in a full-on battle with Nico, and they were going slower. I looked meaningfully at Percy, without saying anything. He nodded, and sped up the hippocampi hybrids.

That was when everything went wrong.

Time seemed to go in slow motion, as if Kronos, Lord of Time, was back from Tartarus already. But it wasn't some divine force controlling the time, no. For demigods, such as myself, time seems to slow down before something very important happens, something that would need our ADHD-fueled actions.

And such it did.

There was a sort of power in the air, one that every half-blood, trained or untrained, would recognize. It was metallic, and radiating energy. Untrained half-bloods would call it the "scent of pure fear". For us trained half-bloods, that could only mean one thing: Titan.

I looked around. Clarisse and Nico had stopped battling and just stared. My siblings had gotten out of the water, and were frozen too. Slowly, I turned to where they were staring. And I saw him.

He was ten feet tall, with long, straight, black hair. His eyes were gold, like Kronos's. He was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, but still looked frightening. The man looked at us all, then smiled, showcasing his not-so-pearly whites. He snapped his fingers, and out of the air materialized a metal box that seemed suspended in the air. So far, he had not said anything. He snapped his fingers again, and someone screamed. It might have been me.

It probably was me, because Percy put his arm around me, and hugged me to him. I was too scared to acknowledge the fact at the time, though.

Because at the tall dude's side appeared black shadows. Not hellhound black shadows, but like mist, smoke. Then, faces seemed to melt out of the mist. But they weren't clear; everything was blurry. His little helpers flew in all directions, grabbing demigods. The smoke engulfed them, until there was nothing to be seen but an occasional flailing arm or leg.

That's when the panic began. Arrows were whizzing out of control, frantic campers were drawing their swords and trying to stab the apparitions, but the swords just went right through. I felt myself pulling out my knife, Luke's knife, and trying to attack a smoke-monster that had gotten my brother Malcom. But it was hopeless. It just flew away. The smoke-monsters just kept appearing.

The tall man was watching over them with a grin on his face. He snapped his fingers yet again and the helpers flew to him, and deposited the demigods into the box. He then disappeared in a flash of smoke.

Camp Half-Blood was absolutely silent.

Then Chiron, who I hadn't even noticed, spoke up. "Attention all campers. Please report to your cabins immediately."

Nobody dared to disobey him. Or wanted to. We all trooped to our cabins without a sound, lost in our own thoughts of horror, wondering which of ours friends had been taken… and what would happen to them.

If only I knew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I, obviously, don't own the Percy Jackson series**

Chapter 3- We Talk To A Dead Friend/Enemy

Fifty-two campers.

That's how many campers the tall, hippie-like man kidnapped. Fifty-two. That's more than the number of campers we had before Percy went on the quest with Zoë Nightshade, Bianca diAngelo, Grover, and Thalia. When I was forced to hold the weight of the sky.

Fifty-two campers. Chiron had posted a list on the doors of each cabin this morning. I rushed frantically through the list to see if anyone I knew was missing.

The list just went on and on, with so many names, people I didn't know, and so many that I did. I saw that so many of the cabin leaders were missing: Katie Gardener, Jake Mason, Travis Stoll. I studied the list again and again, searching for one particular name over and over. I hadn't made sure Percy was all right before I left for my cabin. How could I be so selfish??? I couldn't even make sure that my boyfriend was okay??? I heard a knock on my cabin's window. I looked up, and saw Percy outside, grinning weakly.

On one hand, I was SO happy to see him. _Thank the gods_ I thought. _Thank you Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Ares, Dionysus, and Hestia!!! And, _I added in my mind. _… Hades._ But on the other hand, I had not left my room since the "incident". I had not washed my hair, nor changed out of my ratty orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. I sighed, and let him in.

He walked in. He looked terrible. He had bags under his eyes, and looked just as bad as I did. Percy sat on my bed, and looked at me helplessly.

"Grover's missing."

I stared at him. "What??!!"

His desperate eyes burned a hole through my heart. "You heard me. The satyrs and nature spirits weren't posted on the list, but I had a dream with our empathy link. I just… don't know what to do."

He looked like he was about to cry. I sat down next to him, and gave him a hug. Grover had been his only friend at Yancy Academy so many years ago, and even now, he was Percy's best friend.

We sat there for a while, when there was another knock on the window. We looked up, and saw Nico. Confused, I stood and let him in. He looked wired, like he'd just received really important news. Or drank a whole two liter bottle of soda.

"Annabeth, Percy. You have to come. I have to show you guys something."

I took Percy's hand and followed the dark-haired boy out of the cabin, and into the woods. I saw a hole in the ground, with Happy Meal wrappers strewed all around. Immediately, I knew what Nico was doing. He was calling the dead. But whom would he be calling in a time like this???

Nico stopped and started chanting. Ghostly shimmers started appearing in the air, when Nico said, "Show me Luke Castellan!!!"

I gasped. "No no no no. Not Luke. Why Luke??? How would Luke be able to help us with the current situation???"

Percy, who seemed to have recovered from the shock of Grover being kidnapped, answered me. "Luke was inside the body of a Titan. The guy that invaded camp was a Titan. Luke may know who he is, and what he wants. Luke got all of Kronos's memories."

Of course. Nerves were making me forgetful. I looked to Nico. He nodded. "He's right. And Luke should be appearing right about… now."

A shadow floated up and bent to drink some of the Coke Nico had spilled out for him. The ghost's silhouette got clearer and clearer, until finally, I was staring at the ghostly face of Luke Castellan.

"Hello Percy, Annabeth, Nico. Long time, no see, isn't it???"

Even when he was dead, Luke could still joke around.

Still, even though it was great seeing his face again, not mangled with death, it brought back bad memories, how I thought I loved him. My cheeks burned. "He-hello, Luke. How's, uh, it going down in the, uh, Underworld???"

Luke grinned. "Same old, same old. But. This isn't the reason Mr. diAngelo called me up here, is it???"

Percy shook his head. "No. It's not. The other day, a Titan invaded Camp Half-Blood. We don't know who he was, or what he wanted. Care to explain???"

Luke looked at us thoughtfully. "Hm. All of Kronos's brothers and sisters are down in Tartarus," I noticed how he said 'Kronos' and not 'I', "So in wouldn't be possible that it was a Titan." His eyes widened. "Unless…"

I exchanged glances with Percy. "Unless what???"

Luke sighed, and said, "If I'm right, the war hasn't ended. It has only begun."

"Stop being all fortune cookie, and tell us what you mean!!!" Yep. Percy was back to normal.

"I mean, that you are facing the Hidden One."

"The Hidden One???"

"A thirteenth Titan. He is not mentioned in any books. It is like he does not exist. But, as you have seen, he does exist."

"But why has he come out now???"

"He has always held a grudge against Kronos and the others. He waited until they were all defeated, then rose himself, to start an empire all of his own." Luke paused. "But just to make sure, this guy who invaded camp, did he have long black hair and a beard???"

"Yes," answered Nico.

"And was he wearing sweats and a t-shirt???"

"Yes, yes he was."

Luke nodded, as if he was expecting this. Which he probably was.

"Congratulations, guys. You've just met Occultus, the Hidden One, the Titan of Destruction."

**A/N- Did you like my bringing Luke back into the story??? And the new Titan. Weren't expecting that, were you??? Please click the magic green and white button to review!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer- Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for the idea behind the Percy Jackson series. Sob sob.**

Chapter 4- My Head Gets Rummaged Through… In A Sense

I stared at Luke's ghost, disbelievingly. "WHAT??!! What Titan of Destruction???? I thought that Perses was the Titan of Destruction!!!"

The scar-faced ghost shook his head. "That was only a cover. Perses was actually the Titan of Undoing. His power led to this false interpretation. Perses could undo something with the glance of an eye, but Occultus was the Titan of Destruction. Kronos and the others were scared of him, because his power was so great. Fortunately, Occultus didn't realize the extent of his powers. But then--"

Luke was interrupted by Percy. "Look. I'm not getting this all. Do you have some sort of memory to go with this, or something???"

Luke nodded. "Sure." Instantly, my head felt strange, like there was an intruder in my brain, rummaging through my thoughts. Then, I was in another place completely.

The earth was different. It was… devoid of life. No animals roamed, no birds sang. No humans wandered the land. The place seemed almost surreal. Suddenly, I felt the "pure fear" of a Titan, but multiplied significantly. It made my battle senses go crazy. I whirled around, and there were twelve Titans striding toward me, in all their Titan glory. I wondered why I did not disintegrate on the spot because I was looking at Titans in their true form, but I realized that I was looking through the eyes of one. Kronos. I shivered.

As the tall beings approached, I saw that one was in the back, as if not accepted by his siblings. Occultus. He looked exactly like the man who had invaded camp. I felt my mouth moving, though I was not controlling it.

"Brothers and sisters. I am holding Titan council to determine what to do with this outcast of a brother. Occultus, you have been nothing but a nuisance and an embarrassment. All in favor if throwing him out of the Titan Council say aye."

'Ayes' sounded throughout the crowd. Occultus stood up straighter, then sighed. "Fine. I will leave. But mark my words, this WILL come back to haunt you." Occultus stalked away, and the image in my head dissipated, until I was staring at Luke's face, again. Showing us the memory must have taken a lot of his energy, because he was flickering.

There was an awkward silence. The silence was broken by Nico saying "Huh. That was… interesting, to say in the least."

"I see," I said. "But why would Occultus invade Camp Half-Blood???"

Luke shrugged. "I only have the memories of one Titan." He looked very uncomfortable with the fact that he had a Titan's memories. If he hadn't been absolutely evil and wanted to kill us in the past, I would have felt sorry for him. "I don't have Occultus's memories. But if I hear anything from the spirits down in the Underworld, I'll let you know."

"Thanks Luke." Percy looked at him thoughtfully.

"What???"

"I was just wondering… whose side are you on now???" Percy asked, being blunt, as usual.

Luke smiled. "I'm not sure myself. But I think I'm more on your side, guys."

"Hmm."

"Oh, and before I forget. I just wanted to say that I saw Beckendorf and Silena down here. They said to tell you that they were happy, and they wish they could see you guys."

I saw Percy's features soften. I knew he was still beating himself up about what happened to Beckendorf and Silena. He thought both of them were his fault. Oh, Percy.

I smiled. "Thanks. If you see them again, or anyone from camp, tell them hi."

"Will do. See you, Annabeth, Percy, Nico."

Nico started chanting again, waved his hand. Luke's figure disappeared.

All three of us stood in silence. "Wow," I said. "That's a lot to take in."

There was more silence until we heard the sound of hooves. We thought nothing of it until…

"PERCY!!!! ANNABETH!!!! NICO!!!!!"

We all turned to see a boy with curly brown hair, red Converse, and goat horns.

"GROVER!!!"

I looked over to Percy and saw that he was elated. Grover ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "_Blaa-haa-haa!!!!!_ I wasn't sure if you got taken by the kidnapper!!!!"

"But Grover, where were you??? Percy said you were missing."

"I was on a mission for the Council of Cloven Elders. I've been gone for a day now. Just got back about half an hour ago. But what happened??? You guys look awful!!!! No offense."

"None taken, G-Man. Here's what's happened…" We filled him in on Occultus and Luke. By the time we finished, Grover's mouth was wide open.

"A thirteenth Titan???? But what would he want campers for???"

I stopped. I hadn't thought about that. But my thinking was interrupted by the sound of Mr. D's megaphone. "Attention all campers, go to the dining area, I repeat, the dining area."

All four of us ran to the dining area.

When we got there, it was all filled up. Chiron and Dionysus stood at the front, addressing everyone. "Campers," started Chiron. "We do not know who the man is that overran our chariot race, or what he wants. So we must send out a quest to find information and stop it."

I cleared my throat. "Chiron, I think it will be a bit harder than that." I recounted the story to him, and, like what happened with Grover, all jaws dropped. When Chiron spoke again, he sounded less confident.

"We need a quest. If needed, we will later assemble armies. But for now, the quest. It will be led by…" he paused and looked over the group. "Percy Jackson. Percy, choose two friends to go with you."

"Chiron, I'd like to take three friends, if that's all alright. I know, I know, five went out for another quest, but only Grover, Thalia and I came back. I know. But four of us went into Daedalus's labyrinth. And we all came back. Please, Chiron. Mr. D."

Dionysus sighed. "Well, Peter, I suppose we could allow it. Sure. Take your three friends."

Percy smiled, and then turned to us. "I'd like to take Annabeth, Grover, and Nico." Chiron nodded, and said "That's that, everybody. Go back to you cabins. The quest will leave early next morning."

Percy, Grover, Nico, and I watched as the demigods trooped out of the dining area. We said goodbye, and left to get a good night's sleep.

I had one of the terrible demigod dreams.

I dreamed that I was standing next to Occultus. He was looking at his suspended box, smiling as the half-bloods inside screamed. He snapped his fingers, and a smoke-monster materialized. This one was different. It was pure white, like it had some sort of higher rank. Occultus smiled at and said "Soon, Lieutenant. Soon, we will find what we are looking for. Soon we will find my weapon. And then, the world will be mine!!!"

I was woken up by my alarm. I got dressed, and headed outside.

Half an hour later, we were all set to leave. He had all of our supplies: nectar, ambrosia, a pouch of golden drachmas, water bottles, and a lot of food. Chiron clopped up to us. "Listen, children." He said. "We do not know what we are dealing with exactly, so keep your distance, and avoid being killed."

And on that happy note, we walked to the edge of the river; got on the hippocampi Percy had called, and started the quest of a lifetime.

And quite possibly, the last one of a lifetime.

**A/N- Sorry if this was long and confusing. I guess it was. I realized too late that I had put Grover in the summary, and had to bring him back. But then, a story without Grover and his enchiladas wouldn't be so great. Please click the wonderful green and white button to review!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- As much as I'd like to, I can't take credit for this awesome-sauce series. And, because there is a reference to ****Twilight****, I don't own that either.**

Chapter 5- I Fight A Giant Bird

The quest started off relatively normal. Well, as normal as you can get riding on a horse in the middle of Long Island Sound. The water was smooth and clear, and nothing interrupted us. For a while.

But then, strange things started appearing in the water. A bunch of dead fish surfaced, and then dead seaweed. "Destruction. Occultus was here," said Nico.

After a long couple of hours of dead sea life, it began to get dark. The hippocampi started to get tired, and Grover slumped over, snoring, and muttering about enchiladas. "I think we should go to shore and spend the night, " I said. No one wanted to disagree.

The hippocampi dropped us off, and we lay in the sand, looking at the stars. Soon, Nico joined Grover in the world of sleep, leaving Percy and me awake. After a long while, Percy sat up and asked "Asleep???"

"No, I'm not."

"Wanna take a walk???"

"Sure, Seaweed Brain." We got up and strolled to the woods alongside the beach. The forest was dark and foreboding, but with Percy, I felt safe. He caught me when I tripped over tree roots, which was quite often. He would catch me by the waist, and that would send shivers up and down my spine. We walked until we found ourselves in a meadow. We sat down in silence. _This reminds me of __Twilight_," I thought. _But not as… vampire-ish._

Percy took my hand, and we didn't say anything. The darkness seemed to subside as I stared into his face. It was outlined, showcasing his features…

My musing was interrupted by Percy sighing. "Annabeth…" he started, then looked away.

"Percy."

"I was thinking when we were riding on the hippocampi… do you think we'll work out???"

I stared at him. "What are you asking???"

He seemed to struggle with his words. "I'm saying… do you think there's hope for us??? I mean, we're children of Greek gods, surrounded by monsters twenty-four seven…" He trailed off.

"Honestly??? I think we have one hell of a chance."

I saw him smile into the darkness. "Me too, Wise Girl. Just checking. But there's one thing I wanted to say…"

"Go on. I haven't got all night, Perseus."

He bit his bottom lip. "Ah. Annabeth, I just wanted to say…" he turned to face me. "I… I love you, Annabeth. That's what I wanted to say."

In that very moment, I felt a lot of things. I felt my heart stop in my chest. I felt goose bumps on my arms. I felt my mouth widening into a smile, and saying, "I love you, too." And I felt Percy's lips on mine.

And for those ten seconds, I was in heaven.

And of course, my ten seconds of pure bliss was interrupted by a fierce roar. I turned, supremely pissed off, to see pair of huge bird's feet in front of me. I looked up to see a blue body, dark eyes, and… brightly colored feathers.

I was staring at a gigantic version of a peacock.

A peacock???

The happiness of the moment before was lost completely as I drew my knife. I glanced over at Percy, who wore the same confused yet determined expression I probably had on my face too. I didn't remember any records of a giant peacock. Unless…

"Hera." I snarled. I clenched my knife tighter. That goddess had had it in for me all last year, but she hadn't bothered me, until now. I could practically feel steam coming out my ears.

"Annabeth??? Annabeth. You look… furious."

And indeed I was. Percy had just taken a big step in our relationship, and now stupid Hera has to interrupt???!!! "I AM furious, Percy," I growled. I would explode in thirty seconds, tops. "Back away, Jackson." I heard him hesitate, not wanting to leave me. "I SAID beat it, Jackson. I'll be fine." He backed up.

And then I exploded.

Letting out a battle cry, I leapt into battle against the giant bird. I ripped, ducked, and slashed until the peacock was no more but a layer of dust on the ground. I took some of the feathers that remained as a prize, stood up, brushed myself off, and walked to Percy, who was staring at me with a questioning look on his face. I put my arms on his shoulders and whispered, "Done."

Percy smiled. "You were amazing. You haven't taken any recent dips in the Styx, have you???"

I shook my head. "Never underestimate the power of rage."

"Which is what you'll have to do when Hera finds out about what you did to her bird."

"Oh, I couldn't care less about Hera right now."

I leaned in, and this time, my heaven was uninterrupted.

**A/N- I'm SO sorry I didn't write anything over the past, like, four days. I'm a busy busy bee (buzz buzz). And sorry if this was too "mushy" or random. Because I know the peacock is random. I needed a "filler chapter" because I have absolutely no idea where the heck this is going. And I was looking at the summary of this story, and I realized that I put "five campers are missing" instead of fifty-two. Whoops!!!! Click zee magical green and white button to review, and give me some suggestions as to where this is going!!! Or pm me… or something.**

**P.S. Thank you to my friend Meggie for giving me the idea of a filler chapter because without that, you would have gone chapter-deprived for at least two more weeks, and I don't know how we would have survived!!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I don't own this, of course, because if I did, I wouldn't be writing FanFics about it, I'd be writing books about it. And the book that Annabeth gets Grover is made up. I have absolutely no idea if such a title exists in real life. Probably not.**

Chapter 6- And Having My Wonderful Luck, My Christmas Is Ruined

After our strange encounter in the woods, the quest was uneventful for about a week. We got off the hippocampi when we saw the "trail of destruction" continue in the forest: dark, shriveled trees and no bird song. We barely talked, and there was peace and quiet. We camped out under the stars every night, woke up, gathered our stuff, and set out on the journey once again.

But one particular morning, the air seemed nippier than usual, and everything seemed to… glow. I sat up, bewildered, to see everyone sleeping but Percy. Panicked, I started running my fingers through my hair and trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes, much to Percy's amusement. He laughed, and sat down next to me, took out a little wrapped gift.

"Merry Christmas, Annabeth," he said.

I grinned. I had completely forgotten that today was Christmas, though I had Percy's gift all ready. I took the package from his outstretched hand, and tore off the paper, as if I was ten again, revealing a small white box. I opened it, and gasped.

Because inside was the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. It was made up of little silver links, and there was an A in the center, surrounded by mini charms. There was an owl, an Empire State Building, a knife, and a heart. My heart fluttered at the latter, and gave Percy a hug. I dug out my gift from my backpack and handed it over to him.

Percy tore the paper off just as eagerly as I had. Inside was a sweatshirt I had made for him, with the help of the Aphrodite cabin. It was light gray, with a trident on the back and the tiny inscription "To Seaweed Brain, from Wise Girl. Merry Christmas" on the right sleeve.

He gave me a dazzling smile. "Oh, thanks so much!!! It's awesome!!!"

I snorted. "Not as great as yours."

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Uh-uh.

"Yuh-huh.

"No."

I sighed. "Merry Christmas, Percy." I touched my lips to his, and then pulled away. I heard Grover and Nico stirring, and I wanted to get their presents out. For Grover I got a book entitled Green: How To Live It, How To Eat It, How To Breath It, How To Help It, How To Be It. It sounded like something he would like. For Nico, I had scoured eBay long and hard to find him an autographed CD by Metallica. I, not knowing who the band was or what their songs were like, was taking a gigantic shot in the dark, but seeing the word "metal" in a band name automatically made me think "Thalia and Nico".

After a joyous gift exchange, everyone was happy. I had gotten a stuffed owl from Grover, because he knew I collected them. Nico got me a book about architecture. I couldn't have been happier. We were about to continue on our quest when we heard the sound of jingle bells. Confused, we looked around us, only to see nothing. We cautiously drew our weapons and looked suspiciously around our campsite.

"Merry Christmas, dear demigods!!!" A familiar voice sounded from right above us, and we craned our necks to see. We saw Apollo, in his flying sports car, landing next to us, the heat from the car making me sweat. But the god didn't seem to mind. He strode out wearing a Santa hat. "Ho ho ho. I bring presents!!! But first, let me recite a haiku to commemorate this moment."

We all groaned. Apollo may be the god of poetry, but his poetry was not very good. To say at the least.

He cleared his throat.

_I bring tons of stuff_

_So you can call me Santa_

_Or awesome and cool_

He grinned. "Whaddaya think??? I've been brushing up on poetry, because people are telling me that I'm a bad poet!!! Can you believe it???"

"Yeah, uh, unbelievable… the nerve… wonderful poetry…" we all muttered weakly.

"I know!!! But I didn't come here to discuss the wrongs of others. I bring gifts!!! Here, I have one for each one of you."

He handed me a package in silver paper. We then got into his car and drove off. Curious, I opened it. Inside I found a pair of earrings with a card. I read the card.

_Dear Annabeth,_

_I hope you enjoy your holidays, as you have been doing. Ever since your friend, the son of Poseidon, made us promise to claim our children a year ago, we came up with the idea of Christmas presents. We will give them every year to our most outstanding children, and to children on quests, to brighten their spirits. This year, my dear, it's you, in both categories. These earrings will give you knowledge on any subject. But beware, for too much knowledge isn't always a good thing. Merry Christmas,_

_Athena_

I smiled. My mom was proud of me!!! I took a closer look at the earrings. They had a Greek _alpha_, the letter A, for Athena and Annabeth. I wondered how they would work, giving me knowledge about any subject. Wow. That seemed terrifying yet wonderful.

I saw that Percy had gotten a gift in simple blue shimmering paper. When he tore it open, it revealed a yo-yo. I saw him look confused, but read the note attached. When he finished, he smiled brightly and started practicing some tricks on the yo-yo. When he caught me looking, he walked over and showed me the letter. The yo-yo, when spun three times, would call up creatures from the deep to help in battle. I congratulated him on his wonderful present, and moved on to Grover. He was smiling hugely. When I asked him about it, he told me the story.

Ever since Pan had disappeared two years ago, Artemis had been put in charge of the Wild. Consequently, she was now considered the goddess of satyrs as well as the Hunt, and the moon. She had sent Grover a pack of… shoelaces, as well as a note. The shoelaces, when planted, grew to be trees, thus providing instant help from tree nymphs. Grover was ecstatic that he was holding something that Lady Artemis had touched. Oh satyrs and their crazy "crushes" on the goddess. If only Juniper was here…

Finally, I got to Nico. He had a smile on his face, which was pretty unusual. Hades had sent him an iPod Nano. It was black with a flame painted on the back. The note that accompanied the gift said that as well as being a way to listen to music, the songs on a special playlist would do different things. Summon an army of skeletons, summon a wave of the River Styx, hellhounds, and others. But the letter warned that you had to charge it constantly, for each song would take up all of the iPod's energy. It was charged by touching Stygian iron.

We were all happy with our gifts. In good moods, we packed up our camp and set out to leave. But we stopped dead when we heard a chorus of growls from the woods all around us.

Percy, Nico, Grover and I formed a circle with our backs to each other. We had each drawn our weapons: Percy with Riptide and his yo-yo, Grover with his reed pipes and club, Nico with his sword and iPod in his back pocket, and me with my knife. I quickly put in my earrings, just in case. And we waited.

A few tense minutes passed, and the snarling grew louder and louder. And then whatever was there stepped out into the open.

And it was not good.

Not good at all.

Because the four of us were surrounded by at least fifty of the biggest hellhounds I had ever seen.

And each of these monsters looked like they hadn't eaten in days.

I had a feeling that three demigods and a satyr looked like a very good lunch.

The biggest in the pack, one that looked like the leader, ran forward with lightning speed. The rest followed suit, coming closer and closer, until they stopped, no more than a yard away.

We stared each other down, which was a bit of an unfair fight, because we were quivering in fear, and outnumbered about twelve to one.

The hellhounds' blood-red gaze made me shiver.

And then they pounced.

**A/N- Well I'm sure you love me for my cliffhanger. Sorry. 'Tis how I roll. Isn't my Apollo poetry amazing??? If you said no, I thank you. It was supposed to be bad :-D. Heh. **

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Kwanza!!!! I know it's a bit late, but HEY!!!! whatever :-P. I hope all of you guys had/will have an awesome holiday season!!!! And if you would like to be nice and leave me an X-mas present, click the green and white button below and review!!!! If you don't, I will give you coal ;-) **

**And I'm sorry I couldn't publish my Christmas story on Christmas, but my Internet was down!!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- I am not Rick Riordan, so I don't own this series. Boo hoo. **

Chapter 7- I Am In Two Places At Once

As the monsters became airborne, my demigod senses kicked in. I was immediately aware of everything around me. I could see the hellhound's teeth, which were the size of Percy's sword, and just as sharp, and could smell their rancid breath, multiplied by about a hundred. I felt my friends tense and prepare for impact, getting in battle stance. I heard Percy yell out "Attack!!!" as I felt my hand grip my knife tighter. And I felt myself run out and strike the nearest assailant.

And so it began.

Again.

For a half-blood like me, each battle, no matter how small, is like a chapter in a book. It's hard to explain, but our whole life is like a book, by some unknown author. Every once in a while, I wondered how this book would turn out, when the next battle, the next surprise, the next death, would occur. It was in times like this I wondered what this next chapter was called. Attackers Kill Off One Of the Demigods??? I sighed, and shook my head clear of those thoughts. After all, I had an army of hellhounds to destroy.

The next couple of minutes went by like a blur. I could only see red eyes, huge teeth, monster dust, and my knife flashing in the sun. I heard Grover summon a wall of Venus flytraps, Nico play a song on his iPod, and an army of skeletons appearing out of a crevice in the ground. When there were only five attackers left, we thought we had finished the battle.

But we were mistaken.

Because as if on a hidden signal, the big black canines doubled in size. It seemed to exhaust them, but they were slowly stalking forward. Regular hellhounds were the size of a garbage truck. Giant hellhounds were the size of an elephant. Giant hellhounds that just doubled in size were the size of a baby blue whale. And fighting a baby blue whale-sized giant dog with a foot-long knife is not the best situation to be in. _We are __so__ screwed_, I thought. But wait… I had an idea. I slowly made my way over to Percy.

"Percy," I hissed.

He didn't move his head, but spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "What?"

"You have to distract the hellhounds."

"How am I supposed to do that? You think of something. You're the daughter of Athena."

Even though I knew his nerves were frayed, I still winced at his harsh words. "Fine. Tell Grover to trap them in a wall of plants."

Percy turned to the satyr, but Grover looked hesitant. He said something to Percy, and he turned back to me.

"He says that nothing he can conjure by himself can stop them, they're too big. Why do you want me to distract them, anyway?"

"Earrings. I need a second to find out what these things' weakness is."

Percy nodded. "I see. Ask Nico. Maybe he can summon up a wave of the Styx or something."

I turned to Nico, making sure that the hellhounds were still at a safe distance. "Nico!!!" I whispered, though quite loudly.

"Yeah?"

"Can you summon up something to distract them? I need a second to find out their weakness. You know, with the earrings."

He understood. "I'll see what I can do." He pulled out his iPod. Thankfully, it was relatively close to Nico's sword, so it was somewhat charged. He scrolled through, and clicked the button.

Then there was silence.

Suddenly, a roaring filled the air, like a wave was coming. It sounded different, like a thousand howls and screams melded into one. The River Styx.

"Everyone on the ground!!!" Nico yelled.

I threw myself to the ground, and looked up to watch the carnage.

Or not.

The wave came into view, the screams louder and louder. It changed color, being sickly green on second, an ugly yellow the next, and then a crimson red. But when it hit, it only made the hellhounds confused. The wave did carry them into to the forest, and being huge, it was hard to maneuver.

I set to work.

The letter from my mother had said nothing about how to work the earrings, so I did my best to figure it out in the, oh, thirty seconds I had. I ran my fingers over them, and I felt a tiny button on each of them. I pressed them.

I slumped over, without sight, without breath.

But I wasn't dead; no, far from it. I could hear everything, the hellhounds running through the forest, Percy shaking me, trying to get me awake. I smiled internally. Even when we were under attack by massive dogs, he was still worried about me. But all these things were in my subconscious.

I looked around me, and realized that I was in what looked like a loft, and I was sitting on the floor, near a closet, surrounded by paintings. Confused, I saw a girl sitting on a bed with a sketchpad. The girl seemed strangely familiar, even though I was staring at the back of her head.

"Rachel."

The figure turned, startled, and scanned the room until she saw me. She smiled. "Annabeth. What are you doing here?"

"Earrings."

Rachel nodded. "Athena gave those to you, I see. Well, Merry Christmas."

"You too."

"But I don't think you came here to exchange Christmas sentiments, did you?"

"No, no I did not."

"Then what's up?"

I told her about everything, about Occultus, about our quest, and finally about the attack. She took all this in, silent, as if she was expecting it. Being the Oracle, she probably was.

"I see, I see. And you need to know how to defeat the monsters, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, to be able to defeat them, you have to know what they are. Let me fill you in…" Rachel closed her eyes, then reached put. I hesitantly touched her hand, and I was filled with a vision.

It was the same place I had seen a couple days ago, while talking to Luke. The land of the Titans. But this time it was only Occultus, surrounded by familiar creatures, the mega-hellhounds.

"What you are talking about is the _occulutus_, or the Hounds of Damnation. Occultus created them, thus their name, and they are the ancestors of the known hellhounds. They have extraordinary senses, agility, and stamina. They were the number one fighting force of Occultus. He was so attached to them that his life force is connected to theirs."

The scene shifted, and I was observing a picture of horror. I saw hundreds and hundreds of _occulutus_ being herded into a dark pit, one I recognized as Tartarus. The people acting as the shepards had what looked like steel blades, and the hounds seemed to shy away from it. One person was observing the on goings, obviously the cause.

"Hades?"

"Yes. When the gods gained power, they defeated all the Titans except Occultus, for he was too powerful. So they wounded a bunch of _occulutus_, and threw Occultus into Hertarus, Tartarus's 'sister' dungeon."

"Hm. I've never heard of Hertarus."

"As you've never heard of Occultus, right?"

"Point taken. Go on."

"Gladly. When the Titans got out of Tartarus, the powerful bonds on Hertarus weakened as well, so Occultus could get out."

"Are you saying that he just up and left?"

"Something along those lines. When the Titans broke out, the _occulutus_ escaped as well."

"Interesting…"

"Oh please. And now, the _occulutus_ are attacking anyone who gets too close to where they're holding the kidnapped demigods."

"You mean we're close?"

"Well they attacked you, didn't they??

I paused. "How am I doing this right now?"

Rachel seemed to understand what I was asking. "Time here is going a bit faster than there, but not all that fast. Over there, you are either lying limp or on an autopilot. It differs for each person."

"When I 'left', I was lying limp, as you put it."

There was an uncomfortable silence. "So," Rachel said. "How's Percy?"

"Good. We're getting along great."

"Good, good. Well, I don't suppose you have time to stay here an gossip, so I'd better send you on your way."

"That would be good, yeah."

Rachel smiled. "Good seeing you, Annabeth. I don't know anyone at Clarion Academy, and it's nice to see a friendly face."

I grinned too. We'd had our differences in the past, but ever since things had gotten resolved with Percy, things were okay. "Nice to see you too, Rachel. Can you please send me off? I think I need to help my friends in battle."

Rachel closed her eyes again, and muttered something. I saw a flash of light, then everything went black.

I awoke to Percy's worried face near mine. When I opened my eyes, he looked relieved. "Well?" he asked.

"They're called _occulutus_, and were made by Occultus. They are afraid of steel."

"They're afraid of steel. Where and how are we supposed to find steel?"

"I don't know. We'll have to keep fending them off until we think of something."

"Great."

We got into battle stance again, because the wave had passed, and the hounds were advancing.

Just then a piercing scream cut through the air like a knife. We looked around and spotted two girls, about fourteen, running from the woods. They were both completely different. One had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other had brown hair and hazel eyes. Each of them had a steel sword in their hand, but the one with brown hair looked very hesitant with it. The blonde one ran up to Percy and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said, confused. He wheeled around and started fighting off the _occulutus_ with the sword. The monsters ran away, with their tails between their legs.

We all looked at the girls. "Who are you?" I asked.

The blonde girl smiled and said "I'm Julia. And my friend is Meg. We're demigods. We've been on the run a while now, trying to find Camp Half-blood."

We stared, dumb-founded. "Do you know who you're parents are?"

Meg spoke up. "My mom is Athena." A sister. How nice.

Julia smiled. "And I'm the daughter of Poseidon."

**A/N- I know, I wrote this really fast, even for me. It's because I was listening to very inspiring music from my favorite band, Muse!!!! Plus, this = my longest chapter ever!!!!**

**I didn't really know where to end this chapter, but whatever. I like new characters :-D. Writing the dialogue between Annabeth and Rachel was fun. But kinda not. Cuz I'm pretty bad at dialogue. But whatever. **

**Please review, and… Happy New Year (if I don't publish before then. And it's possible, if not probable)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer- As we all know, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series isn't mine. Blah. And, as you may have very well figured out, none of the songs I have mentioned in the following chapter are mine. Duh.**

Chapter 8- We Fight Fog

Percy stared at the girl, dumbfounded. "Daughter of Poseidon? You do mean the God of the Sea, right?"

Julia nodded. "Yep!!! But we haven't had a chance to properly introduce ourselves. That is, you haven't." She looked at us, expectantly.

"I'm Annabeth, and this is Percy, Nico, and Grover."

Meg smiled. She was quieter than Julia. I had a feeling that we would get along great.

"So where's Camp Half Blood?" Julia asked.

"It's in that direction," pointed Percy. "We're going the complete opposite way… we're on a quest."

"Ooh, a quest!!! What are you finding?" the girl looked excited.

"It's not a what, it's a who."

"Pray tell."

We recounted the story to the girls. By the time we finished, both girls' eyes were wide. "Really?" Meg asked. "A thirteenth Titan? A second super powerful dungeon?"

"All true," I assured her.

There was an awkward silence.

"So… I think we should introduce ourselves more formally. I mean, I don't know anything about you people." That was, of course, Julia. She was going to be a nuisance.

"Fine. I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I'm seventeen years old, live in San Francisco, and have been at Camp for ten years now."

And so it continued, until we got to Percy, who was the last one from us four. "Well, I'm, uh, Percy Jackson. I'm--"

"Wait wait wait wait. You're Percy Jackson. THE Percy Jackson? Fulfiller of the Great Prophecy? OMG."

Percy grinned weakly at Julia. "Yeah, I guess that's me."

"WOW. That's so AWESOME. It' like I'm talking to a celebrity!!! I mean, all my mom ever talks about is how I should be as great as my half-brother." She smiled up at him, adoringly, and I realized that, though loud and curious she was, this girl wasn't so bad.

We found out that both girls had lived in the suburbs around Los Angeles, and had traveled all this way by themselves. We asked them about the steel swords, how they'd known to bring them. They told us that Meg's, well, my, mother had told her in a dream.

"Yep. Meggiano here was sleeping, and then she was like WHOA we need steel swords."

"And where did you get said swords?"

Meg spoke up. "My uncle is a blacksmith. He's actually a son of Hephaestus. He built our kitchen appliances." She smiled.

"Cool, cool. Shouldn't we be going to sleep? It looks like Apollo has finished his rounds on the sun chariot." Percy said.

Both girls looked at us, confused.

"Another time," I reassured.

And with that, everyone said their 'goodnights', and fell asleep.

I stared at the inky black sky, deep in thought. Tomorrow, I thought, we would find the missing demigods, and hopefully survive no more attacks from Occultus. Ever. _Haha, keep dreaming. Occultus isn't going to stop just 'cuz we want him to._

"Annabeth? Are you awake?"

I jumped, startled. Percy was staring at me from his sleeping bag, next to mine, his green eyes almost glowing in the dark.

"Well I am now."

"Great. What are you thinking about?"

"Just telling myself that Occultus isn't going to attack us anymore."

Percy smiled. He put his arm around me, and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry yourself, Annabeth," he said through my hair.

I started getting a little light-headed. _Stop it. _I scolded myself._ Don't be like Bella from Twilight._ I snickered mentally.

"You're the best, Percy."

"Well, Miss Chase, you happen to be the only one for me."

"Now Percy, why didn't you tell me you grew brain cells? This is so great!!! I'm so happy for you!!!"

"Haha, Wise Girl, haha."

He kissed me again, though this time on the lips, and I forgot whatever snide remark I was going to say next.

* * *

The next morning, we woke up wet. It was raining. All of us were in a sullen mood. Well, except for Julia. She was prancing through the forest singing "Singing in the Rain. Ay caramba.

After a while of trudging along, we got to a more trampled part of the forest. There dirt was visible through the sparse grass. Obviously, people had been walking around here.

"I think we're close to the kidnapped campers," said a soaked Nico. His hair was all in his face, and he kept having to tuck it behind his ear.

"Yep. That sounds about right." We all glared at Percy. He, being able to control water, was not getting wet. Of course, he couldn't extend the same courtesy to us. No, we were dripping and shivering. I dreamed of a cup of warm hot chocolate. Ah…

"We're here!!!"

We looked up from my feet. And we were, in fact, in a campsite. There were tents sent up, but not a single soul. There was nothing and no one there. I felt like screaming. We'd come all this way for nothing?!

"UGH!!!"

"I agree, Annabeth," Percy laughed. "But it's not over yet. We'll find them all."

I touched my hand to his. I could see the others look interested in something else, but were really watching us out of the corner of their eyes. But I didn't care. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and heard Julia start humming "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada. I had to smile.

And then I wasn't smiling.

Because right then, a fog developed around all six of us. I couldn't see three yards in front of me. But of one thing I was certain.

We were in trouble.

Why?

Occultus's little smoke monsters had sprung out of the fog. I groaned. "Not AGAIN."

Percy sighed. "Unfortunately. I don't know anything about them… Earrings?"

"Sure. Cover me, will you?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

Nico cleared his throat. "You guys done? Cause, you know, we're being attacked by smoke." Oh, Nico. Subtle like always.

"Yeah, yeah, got it."

I was now familiar with the process. I found the little buttons, and took one last look around. Percy was stabbing with Riptide, with no avail. Grover was trapping the attakers in walls of plants, and Nico summoning an army of skeletons, like he had before. Meg was looking at the monsters as she stabbed, as if she was trying to find their weak spot. Being the daughter of Athena, she probably was. Julia was somersaulting and cartwheeling, avoiding the fog demons, while humming the theme song from James Mission Impossible. I pressed the raised points on my earrings, and prepared to fall into the "coma".

And so I did.

But it was different. I felt a pain in my chest. It was dull, but annoying. Confused, I arrived at Rachel's loft, and saw Rachel.

"Annabeth!!! Well, you haven't been gone long."

"No, as a matter of fact I haven't. But anyway, I have a couple questions about Occultus's monsters."

"The _occulutus_?"

"No, the ones made out of smoke."

"Ah. I see. Well, what do want to know?"

"First of all, what are they?"

"Occultus made them while in Hertarus. You see, it is horribly hot in Hertarus, and there is smoke floating around. Occultus fashioned the monsters from that smoke."

"What are they called?"

"No one's sure, exactly."

"Okay. Do they have a weakness?"

"Water, but just a bit. They're almost invincible."

"Gee, thanks."

"Haha, sure. Oh, by the way, every time you come here to ask me something, the travel is going to be a little painful."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Yeah. If you go too many times within a short amount of time, you will do something that Mr. D enjoys."

"Spontaneous combustion?"

"Spontaneous combustion."

"This day is getting better and better, isn't it?"

"I guess so. I think you should be going now."

"Okay. See you later… I think."

"Yeah, try not to travel here too much. It would be bad for your health."

"I heard spontaneous combustion could do that to you."

"Good bye, Annabeth."

With that, Rachel sent me on my way. The felt the pain, but it was multiplied by about two. When I "woke up", I told Percy to summon some water to at least scare them away. He did that, and they dissolved into the fog. We stood there, catching our breath. "Oh my gods. Oh my gods."

Julia did a front handspring. "That was something, wasn't it."

"That it was, that it was."

After that encounter, we walked beyond the camp, trying to find a trace of the missing half-bloods. But there was nothing. No traces, no footprints, no ripped clothing, nothing. The quest was starting to turn a little boring.

But it wasn't going to stay that way.

**A/N- So… how do you like Chapter 8? I know, the battle with the fog dudes was a bit disappointing, but whatever. My brain is FRIED.**

**And I am now going to put up a Wall of Fame. Whoever leaves a review gets their name posted on the Wall of Fame. So here it is…**

**The Wall of Fame**  
**the crazinessoftheworld**

**Hendie**

**Katherine'TheChameleon'Jackson**

**mimimi213**

**audge2041**

**Nyx's chosen one**

****

**The Wall of Fame!!! If you would like your name posted on the Wall of Fame, REVIEW!!!!!! Thank you. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer- As I believe I've said MULTIPLE times before, I don't own the Percy Jackson series. It is not mine. Does not belong to me. Yeah. And I'm trying out Percy's POV here, so… I don't know if that'll work…**

**Percy's POV**

Chapter 9-Well, Look On The Bright Side… Oh Wait There Isn't One!!!

I'd like to tell you that none of us were scared after the fog dudes. I'd like to tell you that we stood up straighter and were prepared for death, and that we weren't scared of dying. But honestly, none of us wanted to die, and all of us were sure as hell scared. We didn't know what we were dealing with, or what it could do to us. Not exactly the best place to be. In truth, the only thing that kept me from collapsing into a nervous wreck was Annabeth. Along with Grover and Nico, and sorta Meg and Julia, but mostly her.

"What are you staring at, Seaweed Brain?"

I jumped. I hadn't noticed I was looking in her direction, but apparently I was. I could feel myself turn bright red. "I, uh, w-was just trying to, uh, see if there was something in the, ah, woods," I muttered. _Idiot!!! I think my brain really IS full of kelp._

Annabeth laughed. "Oh sure you were. And did you find anything, pray tell?"

I had to smile. "Well, no, not exactly."

"Huh."

I looked around me and noticed the others staring at the two of us, grins playing on the corners of their mouths. I sighed.

"Oh gods."

I whirled around to where the sound of shock came from. Annabeth was staring at the woods, but on a fixed point. I didn't see what it was at first, until…

"Oh no."

I ran up to a tree to get a closer look, to confirm what I saw. _Please don't be what I think it is. Please, please, please._ But it was.

On the branch, I saw a lot of Camp Half-Blood necklaces. I'm sure if I counted them, it would be fifty-two. I leaned against the rough bark, trying to catch my breath. The campers must be either heavily injured, or… very heavily injured. As in dead. I breathed in and out. _No. The campers aren't dead. They're very much alive. The campers CANNOT be dead. I mean… ack._

"Guys!!!"

I turned to face Grover. "What is it?"

"My nature senses tell me that there is something really close, something really big, and something really deadly."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Isn't it?"

"Come on, guys. I feel we've got some Titan butt to kick."

"Aye-aye, Captain First Grader."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

We walked into the dark forest. I pulled out Riptide, just in case, and to give out a little light. I surveyed the woods around me. I had to keep everybody safe. Not after what had happened those six months ago. _There were too many monsters. _I tried to reassure myself. _There was no way I could possibly protect all of those people._

"There," I heard Annabeth gasp. I turned to where she was pointing, and I saw it.

It was a camp, similar to the abandoned one. Except this one was filled with people. Big, metal boxes dotted the perimeter of the campground, and it had a single giant tent in the center. I assumed the tent was where Occultus lived. I focused on the cages. There were fourteen in all. One for each Olympian god, plus one for the Hades kids. All the kids of the minor gods and goddesses were crammed into a cage. We all backed up into the woods so as to not get noticed.

"What should we do?" Nico asked.

"That's what I was going to say. I think we should use Annabeth's earrings to ask how to defeat Occultus," I proposed.

Meg nodded. "That would be a good plan. But didn't Annabeth say that travelling through the earrings would get more painful every time she did it?"

"Annabeth, are you willing to take one for the team?"

"Well, I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Good job. We'll wait for you."

I saw her brace herself, and she fell onto the ground. I caught her just in time.

After what seemed like hours, she awoke, but she looked very weak.

"Well?"

She looked pale, and her voice was strained. "Rachel gave me a prophecy."

A prophecy.

A prophecy?!

Oh how I hate prophecies.

"Please elaborate."

The words seemed hard to get out. I felt really sorry, but we had a battle to win. "It went something like this…" She sighed, then continued.

_When the Hidden One arises,_

_The brave face many surprises._

_The Deathly One searches for what is lost,_

_But does not consider the cost._

_And though many friends they call,_

_One of the brave must fall._

"So what do you guys think of this?" I asked, perplexed.

"Well, the Hidden One and the Deathly One must mean Occultus," Grover reasoned.

"And we must be the brave," Julia said proudly.

"Yes," Meg agreed, "And we faced surprises, from the _occulutus_, to the abandoned campsite."

Annabeth, seeming to have recovered from her pain, spoke up. "I had a dream the other night. It was Occultus, and his, like, general fog monster. Occultus was saying that he was close to finding his weapon. Could that be what was lost?"

We all pondered that. "Well, it could be, I guess."

"But what is this cost that he doesn't consider?" Nico asked.

"Us?"

"That's possible."

"And apparently, we call 'many friends'. Who could that be?" Julia asked.

Annabeth, Grover, Nico, and I looked at each other. "Thalia" we all said in unison.

"Who's Thalia?"

"Our friend in the Hunters of Artemis."

"Cool!!!"

But there was one question. "How do we tell her? There's no water to send an Iris message…"

"Simple," Julia said smugly. "By using this." She took out the hair band from her ponytail, and twisted it a couple of times. It transformed into a turquoise and silver cell phone.

"Where'd you get that?"

"My mom gave that to me before I left with Meggster over here. It's not like a regular cell phone. My mom told me that those are dangerous to demigods," My half sister continued. "It doesn't send out a signal. If the other person doesn't have one of these, or can't pick up, it translates into an Iris message voice mail. The rainbow goddess delivers these messages too."

I grinned. Those things were so cool. I needed one. Haha.

"So all you do is you enter the first and last name of the desired person in, and any additional information to help make the connection faster and avoid embarrassing conversations with mortals." She blushed. "It's happened before."

"Type in Thalia Grace. In the additional info, you can write either Hunters of Artemis, or Daughter of Zeus."

Julia nodded, then pressed a button, and put a golden drachma into a slot on the phone. "O goddess, accept my offering."

We heard a _beeeeep_, and we saw Thalia's face appear, like on an Iris message.

"Hey guys!!!"

"Hi Thalia. Listen"

"What's up?"

We recounted the story of Occultus, and how we need her help. "My Hunters and I will be right there, with Lady Artemis's permission, of course. But I doubt she'll mind." And with that, she cut the connection, leaving us standing in a forest as it was starting to get dark.

"All we need to do now is sleep."

"Haha, like we can sleep when one of us has an impending doom."

"Way to be dramatic, Julia."

Silence consumed us, and all peaceful. _Wow. _I thought. _We might even make it through the night._

But I was wrong.

I felt a presence come nearer and nearer, filling my mind with fear.

Occultus was here.

"Well, well, well, puny demigods. Come to challenge me?" His deep voice filled the air.

I stood up, and said, "Well, we aren't selling Verizon, if that's what you mean."

I heard Occultus growl. _Crap,_ I thought. _Titans and gods don't like to be 'sassed'._ "You know, young 'hero', I could destroy you right here, right now."

"Are you scared?"  
"Of whom? You pose no threat to me. But you amuse me. So I'll let you fight me." The Titan smiled, as if sharing an inside joke.

"That's alright. But under these conditions. You can't bring in any fog monsters or _occulutus_", the Titan looked shocked that I knew the name of the over-sized hellhounds. "And you let all of us fight. You're the most powerful Titan, after all, and we're just a couple of measly half-bloods." It's better to kiss up to the Titan than to have him completely furious at us.

"That is acceptable. Anything else?"

"No immediate 'death' magic. You can't make us die on the spot. And if we win, you let the campers go and return to Tartarus. And if you win, you can keep searching for what you are searching for. Swear on the River Styx."

"I swear on the River Styx."

"Are you ready?"

"Of course I am, Son of Poseidon."

I quietly turned to Julia. "Contact Zeus, on Mount Olympus." I whispered. Tell him what's going on." She snuck out of the Titan's sight.

"Then let the battle begin!!!"

**A/N- Remind me to never, EVER, write prophecies again. They are a pain in the neck.**

**Also, about the six months ago thing with Percy, that wasn't random. Well, it was. I was recently reading over my story and I realized that most of the time, Percy was horribly OOC. So, here's why…**

**Six months ago, Percy led a quest with some newer campers, so they could experience monsters first-hand. The newbies, being inexperienced, were making a lot of noise, so they were cornered by Laistrygonians. Percy tried to fight off the giants and let the others escape, but three of them died. He hasn't forgiven himself, and that is why there is very little sarcasm coming from his mouth in this story.**

**Read and review, por favor!!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer- I don't own Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico DiAngelo, Grover Underwood, Chiron, etc, but I do own Julia, Meg, and Occultus.**

**Julia- Get on with the story!!!**

**Me- Sorry!!!**

**P.S. I HATED writing in Percy's POV, so it's going back to good ol' Annabeth.**

**Julia- What did I ****just**** say?**

**Me- SORRY!!!**

Chapter 10- The Prophecy Is Almost Fulfilled!!!

The battle was futile. A couple of super-powerful half-bloods against an enemy is okay. A couple of super-powerful half-bloods against a Titan is bad. A couple of super-powerful half-bloods against the deadliest Titan ever is a problem.

Though Percy had the "Curse of Achilles", it still wasn't going good for us. Occultus easily deflected all of our blows, and wasn't getting tired. We were another story entirely. Only Percy kept going, hour after hour. After hour. I saw Nico panting on the ground, tired from summoning so many skeletons and creatures from the Underworld. I felt like curling into a ball, when…

"Hey guys!!!"

I turned and saw familiar set of electric blue eyes, jet-black hair, and warm grin. "Thalia!!!"

"Hunters of Artemis, at your service." She was wearing her silvery pants, but they had black paint splattered over them, as was her jacket. Her shirt was black with a white letters saying "Britney Spears is not music". She had a whole legion of Hunters behind her, determined expressions on their faces, holding their bows. Instantly my mood lightened. Maybe we had a chance!!!

Four hours later, I wasn't thinking the same thing. Percy had taken a break, and the Hunters had taken over. Now, only Thalia and a three of her best fighters remained. The others either died or were so heavily injured that Thalia ordered them to rest in the forest.

Meg and Julia were still trying to connect to Olympus. Percy was sleeping, and Nico had been stabbed lightly in the arm, but he had to rest before it was fully mobile again. Percy had told me not to fight, though I protested.

"Annabeth!!! Come here!!!"

I raced over to Julia and Meg. "What is it?"

"We got through to Olympus!!!"

"Really? Can I talk?"

"Sure, here you go."

I grabbed the phone. "Hello? Zeus? Mother?"

"Hello Annabeth." I heard my mother's voice.

"Hi mother!!! We have a bit of a situation."

"Please explain."

I told her the story. When I finished, I listened expectantly.

"Well, I feared that Occultus had risen again. This isn't good. We will send a god out there immediately."

"Thank you so much!!!"

"Be safe Annabeth." The connection was lost, and I watched Thalia and Occultus exchange blows.

Suddenly, I felt like punching somebody. My hands curled into fists, and…

Wait.

When Athena said they would send a god out here, she didn't mean…

Oh crap.

Oh crap crap crap.

"Hey punks."

Why, oh why did they have to send Ares?

"Hello, Lord Ares."

"Oh, Athena's kid. You're not hanging that Percy Jackson, are you?"

"Uh… well…"

"Oh great. That upstart and I have got some scores to settle."He stalked over to where Percy was sleeping, and kicked him in the ribs. I winced, but Percy just blinked, and rubbed sleep out of his eyes.

"Oh great. Hey, Ares."

"Punk. I was sent here to protect you… But I'm not going to do that. I hate you too much." The jerk smiled from behind his shades.

"So you're just gonna watch?" Percy asked.

"Exactly. Have a nice life. I'll come back after you're finito. Adios." The god disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Wonderful. That's great." Percy muttered under his breath.

"I know. I mean, what's with that…" I was interrupted by a shrill cry.

"Percy!!! Annabeth!!! Help!!!" Thallia was the only Hunter left. We both raced over. She was badly wounded, with cuts running up and down her face, arms, and chest. She fell to her knees, and started coughing up blood. "Ew" she wheezed.

"Thalia, go get some rest," I ordered. "You've done way to much already." She nodded and crawled off to join Nico.

"I guess it's just you and me now, isn't it Seaweed Brain?"

"But you'll never succeed!!!" Occultus smirked.

"We'll see."

We fought that way for some time, until something happened.

And that something wasn't good.

I heard Percy cry out, and saw him clutching his shoulder. How he got hurt with the Curse of Achilles, I don't know. I ran over to him, and started to hug him. "It's alright, Percy!!! Don't leave me Percy!!!"

"No, Annabeth!!!" he cried out. "Behind you!!!"

Several things happened as I twisted around to see what he was pointing at. Things seemed to go in slow motion.

I saw Occultus's blade coming at me, aiming at my unprotected back. I closed my eyes, preparing for death, because I knew there was no way I could get out of this one.

"I love you" I whispered to Percy.

I braced myself.

But no pain came.

I looked down, bewildered. Occultus looked smug. His eyes were at my feet. Slowly, I looked down.

Someone lay on the ground in front of me. My heart started pounding. The person's dirty blonde hair was tangled, and they had a stab wound right in the middle of their chest, turning their white shirt red.

Julia.

She'd taken a sword blow for me.

And she didn't appear to be moving.

**A/N- I know, you hate me right now. But you should have been prepared. The prophecy stated that… Oh whatever. But yeah. This is my second to last chapter. I know, boo hoo. But I shalt be writing more fics in the future… I just don't know WHEN in the future. **

**Please, please, PLEASE review!!! And please don't write "OMG I hate you so much because you made her die". Cuz that would be annoying. Also, pardon the Britney Spears comment. That was one of my friend's suggestions.**

**REVIEW.**

**PLEASE.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer- I don't own PJO. But I do own my characters, all… three of them. Well, two. But… yeah.**

**This isn't the last chapter of my story. I'm going to write one more, because I can't bear to part with this :-D**

**P.S. I'm sad too :-)**

Chapter 11- The Adventure Is Over

_I heard Percy cry out, and saw him clutching his shoulder. How he got hurt with the Curse of Achilles, I don't know. I ran over to him, and started to hug him. "It's alright, Percy!!! Don't leave me Percy!!!"_

"_No, Annabeth!!!" he cried out. "Behind you!!!" _

_Several things happened as I twisted around to see what he was pointing at. Things seemed to go in slow motion._

_I saw Occultus's blade coming at me, aiming at my unprotected back. I closed my eyes, preparing for death, because I knew there was no way I could get out of this one._

"_I love you," I whispered to Percy._

_I braced myself._

_But no pain came. _

_I looked down, bewildered. Occultus looked smug. His eyes were at my feet. Slowly, I looked down._

_Someone lay on the ground in front of me. My heart started pounding. The person's dirty blonde hair was tangled, and they had a stab wound right in the middle of their chest, turning their white shirt red._

_Julia._

_She'd taken a sword blow for me._

_And she didn't appear to be moving_

"Haha!!! You cannot beat me!!! Soon, I shall go and find my sword!!!" Occultus cackled.

I couldn't get anything out. Even my mind wasn't working properly. I could only think in words. Sword. Stab. Julia. _Dead_. I sank to my knees.

Julia's heart was still beating, but faintly. Her sky blue eyes were clouded, and she had a weak grin on her face. "Well, I guess, this is it," she gasped.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I couldn't very well let you get shish-kabbobed, now could I?" she broke off into a coughing fit.

"I'm tougher than you'd think."

"Ha!!! Pathetic demigods!!!" Occultus was still laughing. "You thought you could—" He stopped. His eyes bugged out, and couldn't seem to get a breath. Confused, I looked up. Percy stood behind him with a giant smile on his face.

While Occultus was gloating, Percy had snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back with Riptide. Percy had a proud look until he saw the tears streaming down my face.

"Annabeth? What is it?" He ran over.

Meanwhile, Occultus was writhing in the ground. His body was slowly dissolving, turning into a puddle of quicksilver. "You… haven't seen… the last of… me," he choked. Then he disappeared completely. The silver liquid shimmered, and molded itself into a silver key. I hesitantly took the key, then turned back to the dying girl.

"Oh gods." That was Percy. He had just noticed what was going on. His face was blurred from the tears streaming down my cheeks. She had sacrificed herself for me.

"Quick," I ordered, my voice breaking. "Get me some ambrosia and nectar." Meg who was staring with horror, complied, and brought me the little squares and a bottle of nectar. She was crying, just as I was. Julia was her best friend. They'd done everything together.

"Thank you, Meg."

Nico shook his head. "It won't help. She's too far gone to help."

I put the ambrosia and nectar down beside me, and broke down.

"Don't cry, Annabeth," Julia shakily. "Please. You're making me feel worse than I already am."

"Okay."

With Percy, Meg, Grover, Thalia, Nico, and me surrounding her, we all tried to make Julia feel better, though it was very hard, and pointless.

‡•*°*•‡•*°*•‡

She died merely twenty minutes later.

She knew it, so she spoke to all of us in turn. "Grover, you're the coolest satyr I've ever met, and the only satyr I've ever met. I hope you accomplish your goal to make the earth a better place. Nico, I haven't talked to you much, but I know you're a great guy. If I see Bianca, I'll tell her that you said hi. Thalia, I haven't known you long, but I hope the Hunters can grow once more. Meggie," she seemed to grimace as she said her name. "You've been the best friend ever. I hope that Camp Half-Blood is great without me. Annabeth, don't beat yourself up, because I know that's what you're doing. And Percy, you've been the awesomest big brother." I saw Percy's eyes glisten.

She stopped talking after that. Three minutes later… she was gone.

I heard heavy footfalls getting closer.

"All right!!! The demigods are finished, and now I have come to—" Ares stopped mid-boast. "What are you guys doing here?" he stared at us, with pure contempt on his scarred face.

"We defeated the Titan." Percy said matter-of-factly.

"You WHAT?"

"You heard me."

"Just you guys?"

"Yep. And, because of your lack of help, my sister is dead."

"Well that's her problem, isn't it?"

I heard Percy mutter profanities under his breath. "Doesn't it get old?"

"What?" Ares asked, obviously confused.

"You're the God of War. Doesn't the killing ever get old?"

"No… what are you doing, half blood?"

"Okay, if that doesn't, then what about death because of your own selfishness?"

I stared at my boyfriend, amazed. On one hand, I was proud of him. He was standing up to a god. On the other hand, he was standing up to a GOD. And the God of War, at that. I tried to send him a message telepathically. _PERCY!!! SHUT UP!!! HE IS GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A PILE OF ASHES!!! SHUT THE __HELL__ UP NOW!!!_

Unfortunately, Percy does not possess mind reading skills. He kept on talking to the god.

I grimaced, preparing for the cremation of Percy Jackson.

But it never came.

I looked up at Ares. His eyes were big, and starting to water. My jaw dropped. Percy had made the God of War, Ares, Mars, whatever, cry. Wow. I remembered one day before we fought Occultus. Julia and I were talking. For a Seaweed Brain, she was actually very smart.

"_So what about the bullies? I mean, everybody has a bully," Julia inquired._

"_Oh there sure are bullies. They're the Ares kids. Ugh. The head bully is Clarisse La Rue."_

"_Tell me about her."_

"_Well, she's been at Camp almost as long as I have. She's actually not bad at times… but you know bullies."_

"_Yeah. There was girl at my school who was the absolute terror, but after a while she changed, and she became one of my friends."_

"_Well what do you know."_

_Julia nodded. "I guess that within every cactus is a hidden marshmallow."_

Within every cactus is a hidden marshmallow. I guess that applied to Ares, too. By now, he was whimpering. Aww.

"I, I know. It does get old. I'm really sorry about your sister," the god choked out. I bit back a smile.

"Well, please try to change in the future." Percy chided.

"Okay. I will."

"Do you need a hug?"

The god nodded pitifully.

Ever had one of those moments where you wish you had a camera?

This was one of them.

Oh, what I would have given to have a picture of this. A mighty Greek God, the God of War, was hugging a demigod, while bawling his eyes out. Hahaha.

Ares straightened up, and his usual expression of hatred returned. "You speak nothing of this, right?"

"Of course. Our little secret."

Ares sighed, and disappeared in a flash of red light.

"Well, where do we go now?" Grover asked.

"Back," I said. "We're going back."

Everybody turned, and we started going back to Camp. We had a long way to go, and we wanted to get home as soon as possible. If Julia was still with us, she'd be humming "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles, for sure. I sighed, and began my long journey back home.

**A/N- Well, one more chapter. That one will be the last, I promise. **

**Boo hoo. I feel bad for Julia too. Don't worry. I'm not completely heartless. **

**LOL I loved making Ares a marshmallow. That was fun.**

**I remembered about the Hall Of Fame. Here's everybody that reviewed, ever.**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer- PJO= not mine. PJO= not mine. PJO= not mine.**

**Julia- Get on with it!!!**

**Me- Aren't you…**

**Julia- Don't ask. Apparently Elysium has a pay phone.**

**This is the last chapter (I promise), so read with relish!!!**

Chapter 12- THE END

All of Camp Half-Blood was joyous at our return. The air was filled with whoops and shouts. One small girl from the Eros cabin asked us for our autographs.

"Good job. We are proud to have you in our ranks." This was Chiron. "Come with me to the Big House. You can tell me about your adventure." We followed the centaur through the crowd.

"Here we are," Chiron said once we were safely in the Big House. "Now tell me about your adventure."

We sat there for at least half an hour, telling him about the Christmas presents, the _occulutus_, Hertarus, meeting Meg and Julia, the prophecy, and the final battle. At the end, we sat in silence.

Chiron nodded slowly. "Okay, but could you repeat the prophecy again? I want to see if it has been fulfilled completely."

_When the Hidden One arises,_

_The brave face many surprises._

_The Deathly One searches for what is lost,_

_But does not consider the cost._

_And though many friends they call,_

_One of the brave must fall._

We all recited the prophecy perfectly. We'd all spent so much time pondering it, it was memorized.

"Uh, excuse me… but I had a dream last night, and I think it may be important."

We all looked at Meg. She hadn't said anything ever since Julia died. "Well?" I asked. "What was it?"

"I had a dream that this girl with red hair was telling me the beginning of the prophecy, then adding on some more."

"WHAT?! More prophecy?"

"Yes," Meg said meekly. "The rest went something like this…"

_A hidden key, a hidden lock_

_Underneath a fist of rock._

_A mystery finally unraveled_

_After many miles were traveled._

"Well, let's analyze the prophecy now."

"Good idea."

"Alright," Chiron said. "When the Hidden One arises/The brave face many surprises."

"The Hidden One is obviously Occultus," Grover reasoned. "And he 'arose'."

"And," Nico continued. "We are the brave, and we did face many surprises, like the _occulutus_, meeting Julia and Meg, the abandoned campsite."

"The next line is 'The Deathly One searches for what is lost/But does not consider the cost'."

"He did mention a sword a couple of times," Percy interjected. "But what could the cost be?"

We were all silent for a moment. "Well, never mind," I said. "Let's continue. 'And though many friends they call/One of the brave must fall'."

"We called Thalia, and one of us did fall," Meg spoke softly.

"What about the new part?"

"'A hidden key, a hidden lock/Underneath a fist of rock'," Chiron nodded. "Do you children have any idea what this may mean?"

_A hidden key, a hidden lock. Key, key, a hidden key… Wait. Eureka!!!_

"I got it!!!" I shrieked out. I pulled out the key that Occultus had turned into. "The hidden key!!!"

"Wow!!!"

"Awesome!!!"

"Good job, Annabeth!!!"

"That's my Wise Girl."

I held my hand up to stop the praise. "This must be the cost that Occultus didn't consider. The sword he was looking for could only be found by the key, but he turned into the key!!! So he couldn't have gotten it anyway!!!"

"Smart!!!"

"But what is this hidden lock, under a fist of rock?" Grover mused.

_A lock to the key. Under a fist of rock. Fist of rock… could it really be that simple?_

"Couldn't it be… Zeus's Fist?"

I felt everybody's eyes on me. "The lock to the key is in Zeus's Fist. 'Underneath a fist of rock'. Also, that's why he kidnapped all those demigods. He was still relatively weak, so the less powerful half-bloods around when he attacked Camp, the better."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Percy asked. "Let's go to Zeus's Fist!!!"

Fifteen minutes later, we were standing near the pile of rocks.

"So…" Meg asked. "What do we do now?"

I shrugged. I took the key out of my pocket, and carefully crept up to the mound of boulders. The closer I got, the more the key started glower, and its temperature started to drop. Soon, it was almost freezing my fingers off.

"There!!!" Nico cried. "Do you see the outline?"

I looked to where he was pointing. And he was right. There was a faint depression in the rock, exactly the shape of the key. It was shining around the edges. I pressed the key into place, and I heard a bunch of clicks, as if it was some complicated safe opening.

Wait.

It was a complicated safe.

Huh.

A gap appeared in the rock, just big enough for a person to get through. I summoned Percy. "Let's go. Anyone else?"

Grover shook his head. "No, underground isn't a very good place for satyrs. No coffee, or enchiladas, or…" I let him still mumbling.

"Nope. This is your adventure" Nico smiled.

"I second that," Meg said.

"Well I guess it's just you and me, Seaweed Brain."

"Then let's go, Wise Girl."

We slipped into the hole. I didn't want to. It looked so dark and foreboding. Who knew what it could hold?

After a bit of stumbling around, we reached an altar of some sort. And upon it, was the weapon of the Titan of Destruction.

"Is it just me," I asked Percy, confused. "Or does that look like a chainsaw?"

"No, I think it's a chainsaw."

"But he said it was a sword."

"Maybe it can change from a chainsaw to a sword to a club and so on."

Wow. And I thought I'd never see the day.

"Let's take a look at it."

We stepped closer to the weapon, and tentatively took it down from the giant stone slab it was rested on.

From close up, it was actually very high-tech. It had all kinds of buttons, for different "modes" (sword mode, club mode, bow mode, chainsaw mode, scythe mode), different speeds, etc. One button read "Self-Destruct". I looked at Percy, who nodded. We ran to the end of the tunnel, from where we'd come in, and braced ourselves. I pressed the button, and threw the hunk of metal towards the altar. We scrambled out just in time, but barely. We felt the heat from the explosion scorch our clothes.

We lay on the ground, panting. "It's destroyed?" Chiron asked.

Both of us nodded, too overwhelmed and out of breathe to speak.

"Good, good. I shall now send out a quest to return all the kidnapped campers safely. Farewell, and excellent job." He trotted away.

We all looked around at each other. We'd survived hellhounds the size of blue whales, fog-people, Titans, death, and exploding chainsaws together. We had a connection now, and that was something that could never be broken.

And to think it all started with a chariot race.

**A/N- Well, that was the last chapter!!! I hope you enjoyed my whole story, and I hope you'll read my next fics, coming out… Zeus knows when. **

**Buh-bye!!!**


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